Paris-Roubaix 2026, one day monument, April 12

[Gratemans]

I might have a better word for it, but then I would get a warning so I can't say it

But isn't a Golden a bit more friendly?

Way less dangerous to be around at the very least

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

And once again we saw something very obvious:

PR>>>>>>>>>RVV>>>>>>> every other race.

And tomorrow, will start my yearly sadness of having to wait 364 days until we get to watch another.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Wout, what a man.

 

[Gingivitis]

Nice win for Wout. Actually, smart racing and luck got him this although I do think that he was by far stronger one out of the two today.
Too bad for VdP. He has really done tremendous amount of work. If it was only one problem he would have been absolute favorite to win.
Mad respect for Pogačar. His body type is clearly physically less adapted for flat cobbles and somehow he manages to be in top 2 two years in the row. The save he pulled on Carrefour is something else. Having won MSR was a problem as 5 in a year sword was hanging over him and he was not able to risk it for tactical gamesmanship.
Hopefully we'll see some resistance from Seixas and Remco at LBL so we finally get to a stage where at least 4 monuments are open.

 

[Hugh Januss]

It was a great race in the end even though I wasn't a fan of all the randomness. Having that opinion definitely isn't the reason I have a problem with half the forum, it's quite easy to see what is if you're willing.

You seem to do a lot of complaining about a forum which you only joined nine months ago, What was your previous username?

 

[Coppi-Bartali]

Pogacar has hinted that he won't be doing Paris-Roubaix next year.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

And once again we saw something very obvious:

PR>>>>>>>>>RVV>>>>>>> every other race.

I hold Paris-Roubaix slightly higher than the other Monuments on my estimation / valuation largely because it's not replicable by any other race on the calendar. There are other races on the calendar that ape what you can get from the four other Monuments, hell de Ronde has an entire sequence of races that use many of the same climbs in different orders that lead into it, with only the Koppenberg really being maintained as sacred to RVV. As for Liège, it comes at the end of a week of similarly-profiled hilly races in the same region; Sanremo is "just" a race for the durable sprinter with a few chances to get away in the last part of the course, its unique factor comes from the distance which is not really replicated anywhere on the calendar. Lombardia changes route like, every single year and so while I have a soft spot for it and it has its legendary sights, it doesn't have quite the same feeling of theatre when they reach particular landmarks as some of the other Monuments.

But there are no other races that truly replicate what Paris-Roubaix has to offer.

 

[dobrien]

And once again we saw something very obvious:

PR>>>>>>>>>RVV>>>>>>> every other race.

Truth!!!!!

 

[KoopaCycling]

Pogacar has hinted that he won't be doing Paris-Roubaix next year.

Hinted at no MSR and no Roubaix?
Giro maybe?

 

[Revelation]

You seem to do a lot of complaining about a forum which you only joined nine months ago, What was your previous username?

Solid arguments, I'll take them into consideration.

 

[onefortheroad]

Pogacar has hinted that he won't be doing Paris-Roubaix next year.

Maybe just the sting of losing his most sought prize, beaten in the sprint, in the legendary velodrome!

This was the one he wanted most. How can he even think about skipping next year if he's so obsessively hunting all five Monuments? But maybe not all in a single year anymore...

 

[Bertram Wooster]

Pogacar has hinted that he won't be doing Paris-Roubaix next year.

After winning Romandy and Switzerland this year, he will probably take on Pays Basque to win the 7 classic one week races and Giro to win the 10 big stage races.

 

[search]

Bissegger said all the mechanicals showed that the favorites had to risk a lot today. Usually it would mostly affect the weaker riders having to take risks to hang on, today it was the other way around.

Asked if he is already looking for more next year, he said that it's not a race he enjoys or looks forward to, just one he is good at.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNn0gwTAGpU

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Whole classics campaign did show that the young guns (Brennan, Magnier, etc.) definitely aren't up there yet

Both of them had pretty horrific luck this spring, TBF.

 

[aphronesis]

Oh ***.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I hold Paris-Roubaix slightly higher than the other Monuments on my estimation / valuation largely because it's not replicable by any other race on the calendar. There are other races on the calendar that ape what you can get from the four other Monuments, hell de Ronde has an entire sequence of races that use many of the same climbs in different orders that lead into it, with only the Koppenberg really being maintained as sacred to RVV. As for Liège, it comes at the end of a week of similarly-profiled hilly races in the same region; Sanremo is "just" a race for the durable sprinter with a few chances to get away in the last part of the course, its unique factor comes from the distance which is not really replicated anywhere on the calendar. Lombardia changes route like, every single year and so while I have a soft spot for it and it has its legendary sights, it doesn't have quite the same feeling of theatre when they reach particular landmarks as some of the other Monuments.

But there are no other races that truly replicate what Paris-Roubaix has to offer.

At the same time I feel like the UCI needs to enforce maximal tire width, mainly for the cobbled classics. Cause someone riding 35mm tires that blow up to 38mm on the rim as their front tire like Pogacar is trying to cheat the nature of this race, it lowers the skill cap needed and makes it easier for the lighter guys.

 

[Coppi-Bartali]

Maybe just the sting of losing his most sought prize, beaten in the sprint, in the legendary velodrome!

This was the one he wanted most. How can he even think about skipping next year if he's so obsessively hunting all five Monuments? But maybe not all in a single year anymore...

No. He said the same thing after winning San Remo.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

At the same time I feel like the UCI needs to enforce maximal tire width, mainly for the cobbled classics. Cause someone riding 35mm tires that blow up to 38mm on the rim as their front tire like Pogacar is trying to cheat the nature of this race, it lowers the skill cap needed and makes it easier for the lighter guys.

Also they need to police riding in the gutter better, there are so many rutted paths adjacent to the sectors now that we are seeing a lot of the cobbles simply being bypassed.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

At the same time I feel like the UCI needs to enforce maximal tire width, mainly for the cobbled classics. Cause someone riding 35mm tires that blow up to 38mm on the rim as their front tire like Pogacar is trying to cheat the nature of this race, it lowers the skill cap needed and makes it easier for the lighter guys.

On the other hand, it didn't seem to help his cornering whatsoever.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Very good interview (Bissegger

 

[saunaking]

Bad team planning. Different pedals from his teammate? Why?

Im not ready to believe some commentator on this unless team cops to it

 

[onefortheroad]

No. He said the same thing after winning San Remo.

Maybe thinking he would win PR today.

 

[search]

Degenkolb didn't have a great day. Mechanical in Arenberg, then not strong enough to follow Mathieu back to the front. But he hopes to return one more time next year

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpPLuEfG1BE

 

[tobydawq]

To be honest I got pretty fed up of that too, but I got more fed up of the constant dismissing of women's cycling as a whole because of her dominance, admittedly I would therefore defend her to the hilt against that.

Fair enough. I can see your points but I don't really know what you could have realistically hoped for in today's race if a Van Aert win over Pogi is also dismissed as something we've seen lots of times before. It's not like Aivaras Mikutis and Victor Vercouillie were going to be duking it out for the win.

 

[Potomac]

It was a great race in the end even though I wasn't a fan of all the randomness.

Does the top 10 seem random to you?
Pog, WVA, MvdP, Mads .... I think most everybody would have predicted them to finish top 10.
I could argue it's the same old faces once again, the opposite of randomness.